ROCHESTER, MINN – The Rochester Honkers, five-time champions of the Northwoods League, are excited to announce left-handed pitchers Noah Rooney and Jace Root will join the Honkers pitching staff this summer.  

Rooney, a freshman at the University of Minnesota, has seen limited action with the Gophers this spring. He’s made five appearances, his last one coming on March 19th against Creighton, where he threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. The Perham, Minn native had a  tremendous career at Perham High School, where he holds the school record for most  strikeouts in a single season with 94, and game with 16. Coming out of high school Prep  Baseball Report ranked Rooney as the No. 3 pitcher and No. 10 overall player in Minnesota.  

“I am very excited to have Noah join us this summer,” said Honkers field manager Andrew Urbistondo. “He brings loads of intensity to every outing and has a great feel for his pitches  from the left side.” 

Root, a redshirt-freshman at San Joaquin Delta College, is off to a great start for the Mustangs this season. In 14 appearances out of the bullpen Root is 1-0 with a 2.87 ERA. The 6’1 lefty pitched for the Walnut Creek Crawdads of the California Collegiate League last summer and  recorded a 3.17 ERA in 11 appearances, striking-out 18 batters in 22.2 innings pitched.  

“Jace is going to play a big role in our bullpen,” said Urbistondo. “He has a smooth delivery and his consistency will allow him to pitch in key spots for us this summer.” 

The Rochester Honkers start their quest for a sixth Northwoods League title on May 30th when they host the Willmar Stingers at Mayo Field. Connect with the Honkers on social media by following them on Twitter (@RochHonkers), Instagram (@honkersbaseball) and like the Honkers  on Facebook at Rochester Honkers Baseball Club. Also, subscribe to the Honkers on YouTube  at ‘Rochester Honkers’ where episodes of Meet The Honkers premiere every Friday. Interact on social by using the hashtag #FunForTheWholeFlock!  

The Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league of its kind in the world with 22  teams, drawing significantly more fans and provides a friendly ballpark experience. A valuable  training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 250 Northwoods League  players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016  Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist  and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). 2019 Rookie of the Year and two-time Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR) each participated in the NWL  before they were MLB stars. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League  website. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.rochesterhonkers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile  App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Honkers as your favorite team.